Caracanthus
Caracanthus, the coral crouchers, or orbicular velvetfishes, are a genus of scorpaeniform fishes. They live in coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific. This genus is the only member of the family Caracanthidae.
| Coral Crouchers | |
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| Family: | Caracanthidae |
| Genus: | Caracanthus Krøyer, 1845 |
Like their close relatives the velvetfishes, they have compressed bodies and a velvety skin. They have small pectoral fins, which they use to wedge themselves into crevices in the coral, and greatly reduced pelvic fins.[1]
Species
There are currently four recognized species in this genus:[2]
- Caracanthus maculatus (J. E. Gray, 1831) (Spotted coral croucher)
- Caracanthus madagascariensis (Guichenot, 1869) (Spotted croucher)
- Caracanthus typicus Krøyer, 1845 (Hawaiian orbicular velvetfish)
- Caracanthus unipinna (J. E. Gray, 1831) (Pygmy coral croucher)
References
- Eschmeyer, William N. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 176. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Caracanthus in FishBase. December 2012 version.
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